Why?
by Buffalo
Summary: Future Fic: Rory left Stars Hollow and the life she knew, 15 years ago. Now she's back, but the people and the life she left have changed can she make things right again.LL and ROther. New Characters.
1. Home

Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls or anything related to Gilmore Girls

A/N: Okay, this is my second attempt at this fic, for those of you who have already read it, and you liked the direction it was heading, sorry. I couldn't find a way to make it work in my head until this seasons finally. So it's changed a bit, better I hope. Enjoy.

Oh and please review.

The snow was coming down in sheets, and it was the most beautiful morning 15-year-old Mia had seen in a long time. Her love of snow and winter was her biggest connection to her mother, other than her looks. Mia mirrored her mother in looks, her hair was longer but it had the same deep brown nearly black wave to it. Blue eyes so clear everyone always said they could see right through them.

Mia, though she looked like her mother and had a deep love for snow and everything winter, was her father's daughter.

She loved the outdoors, she loved to hike and fish, she was on the track team, soccer team and baseball teams at school and Mia wouldn't dare put anything that did not do something good for her body into her mouth.

Except the occasional bit of white chocolate, she loved white chocolate.

Mia had woken at 5:30, she had showered dressed and left quietly waking to the diner that her father owned. Something she did whenever she did not have an early morning practice. Being that it was winter she did this about four times a week.

Mia arrived at the diner five minutes late and slightly surprised to see a beautiful and yet foreign woman sitting on the front steps.

"Good morning." Mia said and then had to step back when the woman looked up. The woman had the most familiar face, and yet Mia could not place it.

"Um I'm sorry, I thought, doesn't Luke Danes own this diner?" The woman asked standing up, she was dressed in a dark business suit, her hair pulled back into a very tight bun but the wear of travel had forced several strands free.

"He does, I just work here." For some reason Mia didn't want to tell the woman that Luke Danes was her father, so she unlocked the door and walked in flipping the lights and sign to open before heading behind the counter and starting some coffee.

"Coffee?"

"Please." The woman sat down at the counter and Mia went into the kitchen and began pouring muffin batter into trays then placing them in the oven. When she came back out the coffee was finished so Mia filled a large mug and placed it in front of the woman.

"Anything else, I just put the muffins in, they should be done in about twenty minutes."

"No thanks." The woman guzzled the coffee down, and Mia refilled her cup. Mia had to smile at this she was drinking the coffee as if it where a fix that she had been waiting years for, reminding her of her mother.

"What's so funny?" The woman looked up.

"Nothing," Mia made more coffee. Then bustled around doing a couple more things before pulling out a school book and settling on a stool behind the cash register to read. The woman gave her an odd look but Mia ignored it and continued her reading, glancing up every once and a while to stare at the mystery woman and to refill her mug.

She was so familiar, yet Mia could not place her. Then it hit her Rachel, dad's ex who traveled the world.

"So, where you from?" The woman hesitated. She didn't dress like a world-traveling photographer.

"All over really, Right now I call home London, England. You from Stars Hollow?"

"Born and Raised." Mia answered, she did seem to travel a lot but well she wasn't quite old enough to have dated her father. Just then the bell jingled and two teenage boys ran in.

"Quick, Me! Four blueberry muffins, fast!" Mia walked at normal pace to the fridge and took out the muffins.

"Come on Mia, we can smell the fresh ones!" one of the boys cried.

"You guys want free and fresh muffins go home and get them from you mom Davie. The ones in the diner are for customers." At the mention of Davies name, Mia noticed the woman's head snap up and stare at the boy.

The guys ran out. Mia stared at the woman.

"Was that Davie Melville?" she asked.

"Yes it was, do you know the Melville's?" The woman nodded, well she knew Sookie and Jackson, but Davie hadn't recognized her and she knew her dad too. Who was this woman?

"Who was the other boy?" The woman asked.

"Joshua William Danes." Mia rolled her eyes at the name of her younger brother, leaving out that her was her twin brother. Mia and Josh where fraternal and in daylight looked like siblings but nothing more than that.

The woman seemed even more shocked by this name than she had by Davies.

"Luke has a kid!" The woman said under her breath in disbelief.

"He has four actually."

"Four!" The woman's eyes widened like saucers and this was the last thing she said before leaving ten minutes and two more cups of coffee later.

Rory sat in her rental car for another hour or so watching the young girl working in the diner, she looked _so _familiar.

Then at about eight o'clock Rory saw Luke enter the diner.

He was fifteen years older and yet her looked happier, younger and more relaxed than her had in all the years she had known him. She wondered who could have made Luke so happy.

The last person to have made him happy, had been her mother, but Lorelai had ruined that right before Rory had left by involving herself in Christopher's life to many times to count.

They couldn't have gotten back together, could they?

Rory watched the exchange between Luke and the young girl it was so familiar and safe.

The young girl grabbed her books and Rory was stricken with the urge to follow her, but she stopped when she saw a group of kids, one girl and four boys entangle her amongst them.

These where her friends, Rory assumed. One of the boys she recognized as being Luke's son, Joshua. They looked like a fun group of kids and Rory found herself wondering if any of those children where her siblings.

Fifteen years she hadn't spoken to anyone from her past. She knew absolutely nothing about her mother, she could have moved away or died and Rory wouldn't know it. She silently prayed neither of those things had happened.

All she had known was that when the strip had turned blue, she had written a short but sweet note to her husband and boarded a plane to Connecticut, rented a car and driven to the small town she had once reigned over.

Rory had left Eric a letter and that was all. She had left a mother a letter as well, and that was all. Rory was terrible at leaving, though she wasn't planning on leaving her husband forever. She just had to see her mother.

Rory gathered her courage and drove to the old house that had been her home for years. She parked down the street and walked the rest of the way.

When she arrived in front of the house she was shocked at how large it looked. Someone had renovated, the house was longer on the sides and deeper in the back. The second floor also looked larger.

There was no car in the driveway and Rory could see a small wood playground in the back, a tire swing was attached to the front tree and there where three bikes scattered beside the shed.

So Lorelai did have kids. Or someone else lived there. Rory shuddered at this thought this was _her_ home, a Gilmore home.

Rory walked up the front steps and knocked on the door, when no answer came she tried the knob, they had never bothered to lock the doors. It was open…

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At first the house looked the same. But then Rory started to notice the small things. There were more shoes on the floor, smaller ones, children's ones, beside the closet. The closet itself was also different it was more full and it was now packed with not only girls jackets but boys jackets as well. There was a sport bag with wood and metal bats sticking out on the floor opposite the carpet. A family lived in this house.

Rory walked into the living room and saw that where it had ended before, there was now a door leading to what looked like a bedroom. The place was littered with clothing and toys and sport equipment. There were pictures everywhere a life line in a way and Rory found herself oddly thrilled when she saw a photo of her and her mother when she was ten. Rory stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a picture of Lorelai and Luke in a hospital room a baby in each of their arms. One baby was wrapped in pink the other in blue blankets.

Luke.

Twins.

Her mother had married Luke and they had had twins.

Rory then moved on to another picture this one was of Luke, he had a toddler - a little girl on his lap and he was holding another baby in his arms. Then she remembered that the diner girl had said Luke had five children. She quickly scanned all the photos and saw that the most she could see were four kids and quickly wondered if she were the fifth, if they had told their children about her.

Rory's hand fell unconsciously to her stomach.

She moved again around the room, scanning pictures more closely. Everything was so foreign to her now, so new.

Rory walked then to the kitchen and she saw that the back wall had been moved back and now held a breakfast nook type thing. She saw the cereal bowls in the sink and noticed a loaf of bread on the counter. Her house held actual food, that had to be Luke's doing.

Rory collected herself and opened the door to her old room. The room no longer belonged to her. The walls were painted light green, there was sports equipment everywhere and books lying half-hazardly around the room. The bed was in the same place but the comforter had changed and she noticed that the headboard now held a beautifully painted name on it, Emily.

Their where pictures in this room as well. The girl from the diner was in a few and Rory thought that perhaps she was her sister. Why wouldn't she have mentioned that Luke were her father then?

The house had changed so much, had her mother changed? Rory began to panic, she shouldn't have come back here.

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Lorelai pushed through the front door, groceries in her arms. Groceries, it didn't matter how many times she bought groceries she would never like the idea. Unfortunately Luke had turned her kids into children who expected regular food, as they called it, on the occasion.

"Daniel if you swing that bat one more time, you won't have it anymore." Lorelai told her youngest child.

"Mom, what should I do with these bags, Mia and Josh are gonna be home soon!" Her daughter eleven year old Brooke cried.

"Uh … put them under my bed." Lorelai called from the kitchen as she began unpacking the food. She noticed an open bag of bread on the counter and sighed picking it up and twisting it shut as she called Daniel in.

"Daniel!" The boy ran in a look of distraction on his face.

"What mom?"

"Did you have toast for breakfast?" He looked up at her and away from the living room.

"Yeah, why?'

"Because you forgot to close the bag again, you're lucky mommy found it you know how dad hates it when we waist good food. Don't forget next time kiddo."

"Mom!" Brooke came running into the room, her face drained of color.

"What's wrong?" Lorelai discarded the bread and focused on Brooke.

"There's a woman in your bed."

"What?"

"I swear mom, she's just laying there. She has that picture Kirk took of all of us like 7 years ago in her arms." Now it was Lorelai's turn to go pale. It couldn't be could it, had her baby come home? Lorelai's knees gave way and she fell to the floor beside the counter, both Brooke and Daniel raced over to her side.

"Mom, mom!"

"Brooke, go get your dad, go with her Daniel." Lorelai ordered blankly.

"but,"

"For once Brooke, just do what I say." Lorelai said a little to harshly and immediately felt bad for it. Both children stood and walked from the house. When Lorelai heard the door shut she pulled herself to her feet and walked slowly up the stairs. When she reached her room Lorelai slid the door open and felt her heart break at the sight of her baby lying on the bed. She had missed that girl with every fiber in her being and seeing her on the bed Lorelai was a mess of emotions. Part of her was so angry at her daughter for running away that she wished she had not come home and the other part of her felt extreme and overwhelming amounts of relief and happiness to have her back again.

The last fifteen years came flooding back to her, every birthday and holyday, every anniversary everything had been slightly tainted by the loss of Rory, by the one person she had never thought would leave her, ever.

The front door opened again and Lorelai pulled herself away to run downstairs, she stopped dead in front of Luke.

"She's back."

Please Review!


	2. Change

A/N – Okay it has been like a year since I have written this fic and I am so sorry I really meant to update but a little thing like life got in the way. Unfortunately due to a year abroad and the return of Christopher I have not been feeling very Gilmore Happy, but I received a review today and felt bad that I had never finished this, so here goes… my third shot at this fic!!

Disclaimer – As always, not mine.

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"I know can you believe she did that!" Mia laughed

"Sounds like something mom would do." Josh added as the two eldest Danes children entered the house.

"Woah, what's going on?" Josh looked around at all the still and very tense faces that surrounded him.

"Rory's back." Brooke whispered at this Mia dropped her bag.

"Oh God!" Mia gasped as she remembered the woman from that morning. Of course! How could she have been so blind? Every head turned to her.

"This morning, when I got to the diner there was a woman there. She drank a lot of coffee asked questions about dad. I thought maybe it was Rachel but she looked to young, I should've told you dad, I'm sorry." Mia explained and Mia saw her mother lean into her father closer as if not able to believe any of this.

"It's okay, go back to the diner for me and close up, you guys go with her. Bring some coffee and dinner home okay." Luke said and Mia nodded ushering Brooke and Daniel out Josh followed and closed the door behind them.

"Come on." Luke tried to push Lorelai in the direction of the stairs but she didn't budge.

"I can't Luke, I can't go up there. She left she just up and left us and she didn't call or write or do anything to even let us know that she was al right. I, I don't know if I want to hug her or hit her." Lorelai went off and Luke pulled his wife into his arms.

"Listen to me. When you left your parents, and I know it was under different circumstances…."

"What if it wasn't, what if she left because she was pregnant, we know nothing about her anymore." Lorelai interrupted.

"Even if she was, that's even more reason to go up. We could have a grandchild. Look, Lorelai she's a smart girl probably the smartest and she knows what she did was wrong. Remember how you felt when you went to ask your parents for Rory's Chilton money, Multiply that by like a million and you'll get how Rory's feeling. She's here for a reason and we need to find out what it is. Come on." He pushed her towards the stairs.

Lorelai swallowed her fear, "Come with me." She begged and Luke followed her up the stairs.

Luke was surprised at what he saw when he entered their bedroom, "She's changed." He immediately realized how stupid that sounded, it had been fifteen years, of course she had changed.

Lorelai ignored his comment and walked to the end of the bed she climbed on and looked over her baby. Her baby was nowhere near a baby anymore. Lorelai then noticed Rory's left hand and her heart broke.

"She's married." Lorelai sat back, " She got married Luke, and I didn't even know it." A tear slid down her cheek and it was Luke's turn for his heart to break. He knew what this was doing to his wife.

"Rory? Hunney. Wake up." Lorelai brushed a strand of dark hair back and kissed her daughters forehead.

Rory began to stir awake and was instantly confused at her surroundings. For a moment she thought she were dreaming again. Then an older version of her mother came into view.

"Mom?"

"Hey, Rory." Rory sat up at this.

"Oh God I fell asleep. I'm so sorry, this isn't how I wanted to do this. I just I haven't been sleeping and I wondered up her and laid down for just a second and then, I'm sorry." She looked into her mothers eyes as she spoke that last few words and Lorelai knew they held more meaning to them then the obvious.

"Its, Its okay." An uncomfortable silence passed through them all.

"I'm going to go and set the table for dinner, the kids should be back soon." Luke finally spoke and this was the first time that Rory saw Luke in the room.

"Luke!" She climbed off the bed.

"It's god to see you Rory. We've missed you." He pulled her into a quick hug and then left.

"You married Luke." Rory said from her place against the wall.

"I did, you're married too." Lorelai motioned to the ring. Rory swallowed.

"Umhumm."

"How long?"

"About 6 years. He's a good man, a little over the top, but good. You'd like him."

"Its too bad I never got to meet him." Lorelai had tried to remain calm, but her kid had gotten married and had not told her, she had tried to keep the resentment from her voice but she couldn't she felt resentful.

"There wasn't a wedding we aloped I couldn't walk down an isle without you." For some reason Rory though this would make her mother feel better.

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" Lorelai spat out and then immediately felt bad about it.

"I'm," Lorelai was about to apologize but Rory stopped her.

"Don't, you're right. I'm, I know you have questions mom and I wish that I could give you the answers, I really do, but I can't. I don't think I have the answers you're looking for, not yet." There was more silence.

"Do, uh, do you have kids? Am I a grand-ma?" Rory's heart raced.

"No, not yet. You guys have kids. I have brothers and sisters."

"Yes you do. I think you met one this morning."

"Right, Joshua."

"And Mia."

Rory looked up at her mother questioningly, "Mia?"

"At the diner, she said,"

"Of course, I knew she looked familiar. Now that I think of it, God she looks exactly like you." Rory, interrupted.

"Yeah, that's what they say." Lorelai spoke more to herself. "She's really more like Luke though." Lorelai then smiled at the thought of her other baby.

"So Josh and Mia, how old are they?"

"15. I, uh, I was a couple months pregnant when you left. Luke and I were planning on telling you that night, then we found the note and well, things changed." More silence.

"Brooke is 11, Daniel's 9." Lorelai then added.

"They're beautiful, all of them."

"I know, and the best thing is they're only half mine, so they're also only partially insane." Both of them smiled at this and it made both of them instantly feel bad. It was so easy to just fall back into their pattern, but things had changed now. They heard the door open and a bunch of rowdy kids entered. The aroma of coffee and chili fries wafted upstairs and Lorelai heard Rory's stomach growl.

"You ready to meet your family?"

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Lorelai

Lorelai walked into the kitchen and made her way straight over to Luke, who was dishing out the dinner on different plates. Everyone hushed when she entered and Lorelai let out a long sigh.

"Hey guys, I know this is weird but I would really like it if we could just try and act as normal as possible." Lorelai saw the questioning faces around her and continued, " I know I know, just please for me." They all seemed to agree but remained silent.

"So Daniel did you tell Josh about who we saw today?" Daniel's eyes widened and he turned to his older brother and they where all instantly immersed in a conversation. Lorelai saw her chance and turned into Luke hugging him closer to her.

"How was it? How is she?" Lorelai had to smile at Luke. She had been surprised after Rory had left to see how much it had hurt him. He had literally spent all of his time trying to cheer her up and help her keep her mind off of her missing daughter, which had been a feat in itself being that Lorelai was pregnant with twins at the time. She had come home one night to see him standing at the fireplace looking at pictures of Rory and herself throughout the years. When she'd made her presence known and he had turned around, she could have sworn she saw tears in the corner of his eyes. Lorelai had always known Luke loved Rory but in that moment she fell in love with him all over again, he not only loved Rory but he loved her like a daughter.

"It was weird, She's good, I think. I don't really know. All I know is she's home," Lorelai would have continued but she saw Rory in the doorway observing her family.

Rory

Rory excused herself from her mother and slipped into the bathroom. She turned the tap on and let the cool water cascade over her hands. She was in her bathroom again, and yet it was no longer her bathroom. Everything had changed in this bathroom from the paint on the walls to the brand of toothpaste beside the sink. Everything had changed. But how could she not have expected this. Rory heard laughter come from the kitchen and collapsed against the shower sliding to the wall her hands resting on her stomach. What had she done! She had run.

The truth was that Rory had been offered a yearlong transfer program with Oxford University in London. Her mother and Luke had been broken up about a month and they had broken up because of her. Rory had been so convinced that her father would screw things up between her mom and Luke that she hadn't realized everything she was doing and had done to the relationship. Lorelai had put her life on hold, done things she would never have normally done and she would do it again, she did everything for Rory and now it was Rory's turn to put her life on hold for her mother.

Rory had packed a bag; a couple more books than she probably needed and two zip locks of Luke's coffee before scrawling a note that would change all of their lives.

In a nutshell Rory had told her mother that she loved her, that she was sorry and not to come looking for her, that she would be back when the time was right. Rory hadn't planned on being gone so long but one year led to another and another then led to an internship and an internship to a job which led to travel and love and marriage and pregnancy and now finally 15-years later, this. Home.

Rory collected herself from the floor and opened the door the first thing she saw when she stepped into the hall was her mother wrapped tightly around Luke and smiling up at him then she noticed the oldest boy, Josh he had the younger girl, Rory couldn't for the life of her remember the girls name, in a headlock. She was laughing and yelling at him to let her go. Rory felt eyes on her and caught her mother watching her she forced a smile that became more than real when she heard Luke's familiar angry voice fill the room.

"Josh! Let your sister go!" Rory found herself actually laughing as Josh let Brooke go.

Mia looked up at the sound of Rory's small laugh and instead of feeling guilty about not mentioning who she was that morning in the diner she felt anger seep into her stomach. When Rory's eyes met hers and un awkward smile graced her lips, Mia's head shot back down to the empty plate in front of her.

"Alright guys come sit down, Josh go get grandmas chair from the front desk." They all sat down and immediately began eating and talking.

"Jeez Luke I had completely forgotten how incredible your food was." Rory moaned into the hamburger and everyone laughed.

"Wow, dad you where right, Rory is exactly like mom." Brooke said and they again laughed.

The more time Rory spent with them all the more relaxed she became and the more she wished she had been there for the last decade. When dinner finished the kids scattered, Daniel and Josh could be heard arguing over the T.V. Mia was in her room studying and Brooke as far as she could tell was in her room as well.

Lorelai, Luke and Rory were in the kitchen cleaning up, well Luke and Rory were cleaning up Lorelai was pretending to help and really just getting in the way. They were all three of them laughing and talking and just, well it felt to all of them like Rory had never been gone.

"So Brooke comes up to me and she's like in her sweetest most innocent voice might I ad 'but mommy we only wanted you to have a happy day, you're not mad are you' well how do you stay mad at that? This adorable five year old girl looking up at you like you are the scariest thing on earth and have the power to remove all joy in her world, which you do but still I couldn't stay mad and instead I took all of them for ice cream and unfortunately we not only forgot to clean up but we forgot to warn Luke." Lorelai squinted at the memory and Luke looked annoyed at it while Rory just started to laugh.

"Poor Luke," Rory spat out.

"Rory?" They all turned to the hall where Daniel stood beside a tall attractive blond man, dressed impressively in khaki's and a collared shirt beneath a wool sweater.

Rory's smile faded. "Eric."

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Hope you liked it, RR please. Sorry 'bout the wait. This should come along quicker now.


	3. Questions

Disclaimer – I do not own Gilmore Girls, believe me I wish I did.

A/N – Thanks for the reviews I'm glad people are still into this fic. Well here's the next installment!

**WARNING** – There is a swear word used in this chapter.

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"Eric, what are you …" Rory stood from the chair and Eric immediately made his way to her, his hand falling on her stomach and a very worried look glazing his eyes.

"Are you okay? How's the baby? What happened Rory?" He finally lifted his eyes to meet Rory's.

"I'm fine, so is the baby." Rory pulled away from him coldly.

Eric felt his world come to a screeching halt when she pulled away from him, not even looking him in the eyes. He had given everything up for her and this was how she repaid him.

"Well than what the hell are you doing half way around the world?"

Rory jumped slightly at the anger, and was that hurt she heard in his tone. She instantly felt bad.

"I mean come on Rory you can't keep doing this." Suddenly she was angry again.

"Doing what? Coming to see my family."

"Taking off in the middle of the night and leaving a fucking note! Jeez, you drive me crazy some times, do you have any idea how dangerous it is to fly in the first trimester?" His face was red with anger and Rory's was deepening a shade as well.

He had no idea how she felt! _That's because you didn't tell him. _

Her inner voice berated herself.

"You know what Eric I don't have to answer that, I work six days a week and make more money than you do, If I want to take off for a while have a break, you can not stop me!" She cried.

"Not only are you my wife, but you are carrying my child, what you do most definitely concerns me!" He yelled and they heard the television click off.

Rory quickly remembered her mother and Luke behind her. What must they think of this, _Oh God; they heard us mention the baby._ Rory felt panic over come her. She felt her knees begin to give way but before she could say boo, Eric had his arms around her and was helping her into the chair.

"Please tell me what's going on Rory, Please." Eric's voice was soft and they could all just barely hear it. He was pleading with her, begging and Eric Montgomery rarely if ever begged anyone for anything.

Rory's heart was racing and her head felt tight and cramped, like there wasn't enough room for all of its contents. She closed her eyes and sighed. But she couldn't answer.

When several minutes passed Eric's head dropped.

"I've got a room at that Inn down the way, The Dragonfly, I'll be in room three and I will be there until you are ready to go home or to tell me what the hell is going on." His voice was ruff and forced like he was trying to keep all emotion hidden. " I'm not leaving Rory, you had better learn to accept that. I'm not him." He spoke the last words quietly trying to make Rory the only recipient but realized he was unsuccessful when her mother's eyes widened in question a bit.

"Goodnight."

Logan stood up and giving one more look at his wife slipped out the front door.

Lorelai had no idea what to say or do, so she stood in her spot completely still, Luke standing only inches behind her.

_So that's why she's home. She's pregnant. _Thought Luke.

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Mia was pacing. She was not a pacer she didn't worry about things because generally there wasn't that much to worry about. But the yelling from the kitchen was making her nervous, and the worst part was that she didn't understand why.

So what if her long lost sister had returned, it wouldn't really affect her much, would it?

So what if her long lost sister now happened to be pregnant and possibly leaving the husband that on one even knew she had. This couldn't affect Mia's day to day life could it.

" I have got to be the most selfish person in the universe!" Mia whispered to herself as she fell onto her bed. And yet she couldn't stop the tears as they slipped down her cheeks. Her mind kept going back to Christmases where they would put an extra gift under the tree just in case Rory came home. And birthdays were her mother would try with all her might to be happy and herself but would inevitably end up in her room alone going over pictures of Rory's 6th birthday party or the day Rory lost her first tooth. Everything in her life had been compared to when Rory had done it first. She was Rory's replacement except she wasn't quite good enough because she didn't like coffee or speak a million words a minute or even read the dictionary.

Yet the couple of years after her 13th birthday something had changed, she didn't know exactly but she had a suspicion that it started when she'd had that crush on Alex Camper. Her mother had found out and they had, she couldn't even explain it but they'd spent hours in Mia's room talking about him and picking out an entire weeks worth of outfits for school. Ever since then, it had stopped being the Mia and Luke show and her mother and her had been well a mother and daughter. Could anyone blame her for hoping and praying that just because the prodigal daughter had returned it wouldn't change the relationship her mother and her had developed.

My Boo by Usher and Alicia Keys began to play on Mia's phone and she dug into her purse to pull it out, knowing already that it was her best friend Adam.

"Mia! Where have you been all day?" Adam's voice blared into her ear.

Mia swallowed the lump in her throat and answered the only thing she could think to answer, "Rory's home."

"Who's… no way, THE Rory, your moms first daughter!"

"Yup," Mia winced at the sound of her mother's angry voice in the kitchen, "hey Adam would it be okay if I slept at your house tonight. I have to get out of here."

"Yeah of course, just leave a note for your dad this time." Mia had to smile at that. They hung up and Mia grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt for school the next day. Scribbled a note for her dad and threw it on her bed. They'd probably be so wrapped up in there argument they wouldn't notice she was gone anyway.

Mia wiped away the last her tears for that night as she climbed out of her bedroom window and made her way to Adam's.

Kitchen

"You can't do that Rory, you can't just up and leave people." Lorelai cried.

"Why not? You did it." Rory spat out before she realized what she had said.

"They knew I was leaving Rory, and I wasn't running from a problem, I was running to a solution. You're running now and you were running then!"

"You have no idea what I was doing back then!" Rory shouted.

"Then tell me?" Lorelai yelled back.

"I can't." Rory said quietly.

"Why in the hell not?"

Just then Josh entered.

"I hate to break this up but it's 11:30 and not only do I have an early morning but Daniel and Brooke can't sleep either."

"Right, I'm sorry. Go back to bed." Luke said.

Josh turned to leave but stopped, " Oh and Mia disappeared out her window about an hour ago."

Luke and Lorelai's heads snapped towards each other and then in the direction of their eldest daughters bedroom.

"Thank you Josh, now go to bed." Lorelai said. When Josh had left she turned back to Rory.

"Come on, we'll finish this tomorrow, you can stay in the office. Luke do we still have the blow up mattress?" Lorelai brought her exhausted eyes to Luke's.

"Yeah I'll go and set it up. And I'll call Jess and make sure Mia's okay." Luke read the thank-you in his wife's eyes and then made his way into his baby's room. He walked over to Mia's bed and picked up the small note. Hey dad, If you're wondering were I am, call Jess, I'm going to stay with him and Adam tonight. See you later, Love Mia."

When Rory was all set Luke and Lorelai retreated to their bedroom.

Lorelai silently walked through the room getting ready for bed. Luke could tell she was feeling a range of emotions from hurt to confusion to just plain tired.

He said nothing as they climbed into bed, he just wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly as she let the tears flow freely from her eyes and began to cry herself to sleep.

RR please!


End file.
